It’s not a bad idea to take advantage of having one of the best college football players in the country in your position group. That’s just what Georgia sophomore tight end Oscar Delp has done while playing behind All-American Brock Bowers.
Delp has an important role this season as the Bulldogs look to replace the production lost from 2023 third-round NFL draft pick Darnell Washington. The former four-star recruit has developed a close relationship with Bowers and acknowledges the “huge” impact that has made on his young career.
“It’s huge. I mean, having a guy like that in our room to kind of teach me and the younger guys and everyone else in that room, it’s huge,” Delp said last week. “I mean, he’s an awesome dude. He’s one of my best friends on the team, and we’re hanging out all the time. But just the way he approaches practice and meetings and walk-throughs and everything, it really puts everything in a different perspective, and I think it pushes everyone in the room a little bit more.”
Georgia has no shortage of talent in the tight end room with Bowers, Delp and two of the nation’s top players in the 2023 recruiting class — Lawson Luckie and Pearce Spurlin.
Bowers is on pace to finish his collegiate career as one of the best at the position in history. The 2022 Mackey Award winner has already amassed 119 receptions for 1,824 yards and 20 touchdowns, along with 165 yards rushing on 15 carries and four scores on the ground through two seasons.
Bowers returns as the No. 1 option in the group, followed by Delp and Spurlin. Luckie recently underwent surgery to repair an ankle injury. The timetable for his return is unknown.
“It’s week to week. I won’t know exactly what [the time table] is,” Smart said. “We’ve had Arian [Smith] came back in three or four weeks from a similar injury. We’ve had guys take five weeks, guys take six weeks. I can’t tell you. I don’t know. It’s how he handles it and how he tolerates his recovery. Ron [Courson] and his staff are going to do the best job they can to get him back.”
